~ The unlikely saga of a middle-aged mom of twin second-graders and an Athena triathlete ~

Friday, December 22, 2006

Message smuggled from quarantine

We're all getting over our Hanukah illnesses in time for Christmas, hopefully. I haven't bothered updating my workout log this week in the right sidebar. It's all zeroes, in case you're wondering, although I plan to swim today.

It sure would be nice to avoid all these colds and sniffles and coughs, but I think they're inevitable with a kid in preschool.

Ellie and my training buddy David are both urging me to take Airborne. I say show me the evidence. Yes, that's non-anecdotal. I'd get my Skeptic Credentials revoked if I bought some of that.

Zinc nasal spray has too many cases of loss of ability to smell associated with it. Too risky.

Zinc lozenges have slightly more research behind them, but the results are still quite equivocal. They mess with your taste buds and you have to take them every two hours, starting at the first set of symptoms. It's always too late for me to run to the store when I figure out I'm coming down with a cold, it seems.

Even Sudafed (pseudoephedrine hydrochloride) is hard to come by these days, unless you go straight to the pharmacist for it.

I'm pretty sure that eggnog and rum works best, though. Or hot tea and whiskey. And our humidifier. And quarantining the entire premises. I'll stick to those approaches for now. It's a damn hassle putting up that concertina wire around the perimeter, though.

24 comments:

I have to agree. However, most people who have a "silver bullet" usually do so for a reason.

My mom and sister both swear by Airborne. Scientific research, not really. Personal experience, tons. Both had significant issues, especially with upper respiratory infections, until they started using it. Few to none since.

Personally, I swear by Cold-Eze, but only when OTHERS have a cold. I don't know if it works, or if I'm just lucky. Could be either, but I very rarely get colds, even when the rest of the office or family is down hard.

And pitchers in baseball won't change their underwear if they're on a winning streak. Because it helps...

I used to get constant, back-to-back colds since I work in a school, culminating in an annual case of laryngitist, and my family would get them from me. Since I started running, I stopped getting them. Don't know why. One theory is that running raises your core temperature, somewhat like a fever, which wipes out the little nasties. Another theory is that it strengthens your immune system. Whatever. We're all cold-free, and that's a blessing.

I started coming down with the kids' cold a couple of weeks ago and my FedEx delivery man told me to take Zicam. He said it is supposed to shorten the duration of a cold down to 3-5 days. I aksed my dad about it (pharmacist) and he said a lot of people swear by it. I felt the symptoms on Sunday and took the Zicam Monday night and by Thursday there was no sign of a cold.

I have to say, I am not one to usually believe the hype either, but two times that I was on my way to major bronchitis - I took Airborne - and both times, the cold/flu/whatever subsided pretty quickly. Wishing you and your family a great (and healthy) holiday, Nancy!

I swear by Airborne if you take it when you first feel a cold coming on. Once I have symptoms it's too late. It is a conglomeration of every holisitic cold remedy in the book and it works! Emergen-C also works pretty well but again, you have to take when you feel that first itch in your nose or it doesn't work. So there's your evidence! It works for me, ergo, it works.

I'm not surprised about the zinc research. I did my senior thesis on olfaction and there was a case of a guy who smelled the smell of garbage constantly. Turned out he was zinc deficient and when he got some zinc back in his diet the problem resolved to a degree. That is the opposite of loss of your sense of smell but the point is that zinc and olfaction are somehow linked.

Take advice from a teacher, who works with preschoolers AND special ed. kids (who pick their noses and eat the findings, then want to hold your hand!)- Airbourne has saved me a couple of times this year when I have felt under the weather...(knock on wood)- But then, I have an immune system built up after 33 years in the public schools that is stronger than the Great Wall of China! :-)Try it tho...it can't hurt. Just vitamin overload and most of it is excreted in urine anyway. Maybe it's the placebo effect, but who cares if I am NOT sick!?

OK, my question to all you advocates of Airborne is this: if it's so darned effective, why isn't there any actual research substantiating its efficacy? Why did they take all references to colds off the packaging? Especially since it's "one of the fastest selling health products in retail history" they should have plenty of funding for clinical trials, right?

I'm huge on the research aspect of things, that's why I haven't tried anything even though it was invented by a teacher like myself. I want double-blind, clinical trials. I also follow the advice of my family dr., who's a standard GP. I won't use herbs or crystals or needles to cure my ills, just exercise, rest, occasional meds and a good diet, and that's why the other Vegans won't let me play with them.

He's talking a bit (in that article you gave us) about subjective validation - to a degree, we'll look for patterns and connections in events to validate what we already believe. Here's another article:http://www.ncahf.org/digest05/05-04.html#airborne

I like Cold Eeze, and have had success with them even without consistently taking them every 2 hours. Keep a stash somewhere for when you need them.

There's nothing like a good hit of Hot Lemon Brandy to help ease cold symptoms, too. Into a mug put 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp honey (generous if desired), 1 oz (liberally measured) of medicinal brandy (ALL brandy is medicinal) and then fill the mug with hot water. Most effective when drunk in or near bed.

Nancy, I am lucky to have a Bejing/Szechuan style restaurant around the corner, but I did find a Thai product at the grocery store that is "instant hot and sour soup paste". Boil water and add paste, mushrooms, etc. I confess, though, it is still in the cupboard ...

Having succumbed to this Hannukah-Christmas cold..... neither do you have your own anecdotal, empirical evidence of what might have been if you HAD taken Airborne at the first symptoms :-)

If I tell you the crabcakes at a particular restaurant are the best I've found to date (and you know about my search for the ultimate crabcake), are you going to request the recipe from the chef, as well as his culinary-education credentials, before you go try the crabcakes?

Try Airborne next time. Hopefully there won't be a next time :-)And no, I'm not a doctor, nor did I sleep at the Super 8 last night, nor do I have any vested interest in whatever company puts out Airborne :-)